2014 shaping up to be a big money year for women candidates

Wendy Davis far exceeded expectations when she raised more than $12 million for her campaign for Texas Governor in the second half of 2013 – beating out her Republican opponent – and she’s not alone.

Democratic women across the country pulled in serious money for their campaigns last year, in races for seats in the House of Representatives to the Governor’s mansion in several states. Michelle Nunn, the Democratic Senate hopeful in Georgia, raised $1.6 million for her race, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen starts 2014 with $3.4 million on hand to defend her seat.

Gubernatorial hopefuls in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin also reported strong totals; Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the front-runner in the Democratic primary, has raised $6.5 million, while Mary Burke, who is looking to unseat Republican Scott Walker, reported that she has raised nearly $2 million, despite the fact that she officially entered the Governor’s race in October.

There are a record number of women in Congress in the current session, and Democrats could double the number of women governors serving with victories this November.